(Image: Photo by Martha Piscuskas)

Through Februrary, 2010.

"Cast and Found: the Art of Wooden Foundry Patterns, circa 1900” is an unusual exhibit of handmade wooden foundry patterns opening next Friday at Waterfall Arts.

About twenty years ago, Lilias and David Outerbridge of Belfast came to possess this large collection which was stored in their barn until this fall, when Lilias asked Waterfall Arts if they were interested in showing the pieces. Soon many were transported, cleaned, admired and placed in the Clifford Gallery. On exhibit will be over one hundred examples of these beautifully made, masterly created wooden foundry patterns dating from the turn of the 20th century. They were made at the Waterville Iron Works foundry, last located at the foot of Temple Street near the Two Cent Bridge. Selected pieces will be for sale at reasonable prices with the proceeds benefiting both Waterfall Arts and the Belfast Maskers.

Patternmakers, a group of highly skilled precision woodworkers, create casting patterns out of wood, which are then embedded in sand, creating a mold for molten metal to be cast in that shape. Gears, industrial machine parts, and parts for ships, trains, and the Lombard Steam Log Hauler, invented in Waterville, were created at the Iron Works, and the mold pieces on display reflect that variety. Patterns range from the size of a saltshaker to a dining table.

The exhibition also includes hands-on activities, interpretive and historical text and a display of period hand tools used by patternmakers and foundrymen, on loan from the Davistown Museum in Liberty. Students, individuals and groups interested in industrial design, technical programs, art, sculpture, historical preservation and foundry work are invited to visit the exhibit, which will be on display until February 26. Sponsors include ReVision Energy, Consumers Fuel, French Webb & Company, Metaphor Bronze, Liberty Cabinet and Design, with support from Skip Brack of the Davistown Museum and Liberty Tool Company.

The Clifford Gallery is located at Waterfall Arts Belfast, 256 High Street . Gallery hours are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Friday, Tuesday evenings until 7:00 pm and by appointment. For more information, please call 338-2222 or visit www.waterfallarts.org.

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